Nautical terms
as a 18th century naval officer on the holodeck]] Nautical terms, known colloquially as sailor talk or as navy phrases, were a collection of traditional sea-going references. These references were often later used for modern starship operations. Tradition Both naval traditions and maritime traditions existed well into the 24th century, and were commonplace within Starfleet. ( ; ) Miles O'Brien liked to sing "ancient Human sea chanties" in his kayaking holoprogram, which he felt was "necessary to establish a smooth paddling rhythm." Upon learning this fact from Odo, the Female Changeling (who was posing as Kira Nerys) expressed that she "never pictured O'Brien as a nautical type." ( ) Key personnel on a ship The crew were the individuals, or shipmates, who served aboard a ship and collectively made up the complement. Crewmembers or personnel generally consisted of officers and crewmen, as well as civilians. These were also referred to as be the ship's "hands". * Boatswain: a non-commissioned officer who was responsible for mooring, berthing, gangways and decorating them accordingly upon visitation of a high-ranking official or VIP; he/she was also responsible for a formal greeting upon such an arrival by which the crewman will blow a specialized whistle in a stylized manner. * Ship's captain, , Master, Shipmaster or Skipper: typically, a merchant ship's commanding officer responsible for overseeing the overall operation of ship and crew. On naval vessels, officers below the military rank of captain are nevertheless still addressed as "captain" when commanding a ship. ( ; ) * Chief engineer: crewperson responsible for the physical components and operational systems of a ship including and especially that of propulsion. ( ) * Ship's cook, Cook or Chef: One who prepares meals. ( ; ; ) * Dock master: an officer directly responsible for managing the comings and goings of vessels in his/her assigned berth. ( ; * First mate or first officer: the officer who is second in command of a ship directly beneath the captain; often referred to as "number one", "executive officer", or simply "exec" or "XO". The first officer is responsible for ensuring the captain's orders are carried out to his/her specifications and could be considered the chief pilot of a vessel as navigation orders generally are relayed through the first officer. * Helmsman: crewmember who is in direct control of a vessel's course and speed, and making adjustments as directed by the duty conn officer or captain. * Lookout * Midshipman * Pilot * Quartermaster * Sailor * Steward: a manager of goods and functions aboard a ship. * Yeoman: an assistant to senior officers. ;See also: * Castaway * Merchant marine * Mutineer * Pirate * Privateer Orders * Abandon ship * Battle stations: ship's crew report to their assigned combat duty stations; can also refer to the location where a particular crewman reports for combat duty. * Belay * Flank speed: the fastest speed a ship is capable of, pushing its engines to their maximum output. * General quarters: a state of alert aboard ship. * Hail: to call, invite, or beckon. * Heave: ( ; ; ) * Ready: to prepare something for immediate potential use. * Secure: to check to see that something is properly "stowed" or otherwise in its proper place or condition. (Example: to "secure" a door/hatch would be to ensure that it is properly closed and/or locked; to "secure" a room would be to see to it that everything within was properly stowed, or alternately that it was properly locked up.) * Stow: to place goods or belongings in their appropriate storage areas. Other terminology * Berth * Capsize * Damage control: the act or task of performing emergency repairs to parts of a ship damaged by combat or accident. * Decommission * Dock: to place the ship into a facility for repair, service or rest. * Leave: an approved absence from duty usually for rest and relaxation or convalescence. * Mooring: to attach the ship to a bulkhead to prevent drifting. * Mother ship * Tacking * Watch: a duty shift. Ships Classifications Facilities * Bay: a stowage facility for auxiliary vessels, consumables, or goods such as "shuttlebay" or "cargo bay". * Bridge: the main command center of a ship where course is set and essential operations of the ship is monitored. * Brig: a secure area where prisoners are held. * Engine room: area that contains the ship's engines and power generators. * Flight deck: an alternate term for launch/landing area (also called a "shuttlebay"). * Hangar deck: an alternate term for small-craft storage (also called a "shuttlebay"). * Head: the bathroom facilities on board a ship. * Mess: the dining facilities on board a ship * Quarters: sleeping area(s) for the crew. * Sickbay: The ship's hospital; called an infirmary on planet- or base-side facilities. Relative onboard positions * Bow, Stem, Fore: the forward end of a vessel. ( ) * Amidships/'midship' ( ; ) warbird]] * Port: the left side of a vessel when facing forward. ( ) * Starboard: the right side of a vessel when facing forward. ( ) * Stern, Aft: the rear end of a vessel. ( ) * Dorsal: the top of a vessel. ** During Shinzon's attack on the in 2379, the starship's dorsal shielding failed as the result of a focused attack. ( ) :* Topside ( ) * Ventral: the bottom of a vessel. ** The ventral plating team stated they would be completed with their work on in three days in April 2151. ( ) ** During Shinzon's attack on the Enterprise-E in 2379, all ventral phasers were fired in a single maneuver. In addition, the starship's ventral shielding failed on deck 29 as the result of a focused attack. ( ) Operational components * Anchor * Ballast * Bulkhead * Compass * Deck: a floor or level of a ship usually oriented horizontally; often used to describe the walking surface of floors within a ship or the outermost habitable section of a ship. * Hatch * * Porthole * Rudder * Sails ** ** ** Jib ** Main sail ** Royal ** Spritsail ** Stunsail * Sextant * Ship's bell * Spar ** Mast ** Yardarm * Turret * Wheel ** Manual steering column Navigation Piloting *'Course': the direction of travel of a ship or object; courses may be described by destination ("Set course for Starbase 375..."), by heading (see below), or by bearing (see below). :*To set a course is to either (as an order) command the ship to be turned to that course, or (as an action) to actually turn the ship to the prescribed course. *'Azimuth' *'Bearing': the direction of an object in relation to the ship's heading; the ship's direction is automatically assumed to be zero and the vector of the other ship's angle is calculated in two 360° arcs that describe the object's position along the horizontal and vertical planes of a vessel. The position is described using the horizontal angle in degrees, followed by that of the vertical plane; both measurements being separated by the word 'mark.' ( ) *'Heading': the direction of the ship in relation to the center of the galaxy broken down into a 360° arc on the X-axis (yaw); another 360° arc is the direction separated by saying "mark" which is the Y axis (pitch). For example, if a commander of a starship wanted a heading of 180 mark 0, he'd want to turn the ship to the southernmost section of the galaxy while keeping the Y axis of the ship parallel to the plane of the galaxy. :* Pitch: The orientation of a ship's bow and aft ends respectively (up and down). :* Roll: The orientation of the ventral and dorsal sides of the ship respectively. :* Yaw: The orientation of the port and starboard sides of the ship respectively (side to side). Measurements * : a measure of wind speed * Nautical mile: a measure of distance Maneuvers *'Circumnavigate' *'Closing': the act of approaching a particular place or object, typically another ship. *'Come about': an order to change course to that given after the order. *'Collision course': one designed to make the ship assuming the course collide with a particular target, often another ship. :*'Ramming speed': the fastest speed a ship can attain while still retaining sufficient maneuverability to remain on a collision course with a target. *'Conic intersection flight path': a course designed to bring one ship close to another in a way that is not intended to appear threatening to the other vessel; such a course was used by the to approach V'Ger in 2271. ( ) *'Docking maneuvers': maneuvers that allow a ship to to physically link up with another other body (typically at airlocks), or to allow a ship to be brought into its slip in a dock, or to bring a small craft into its bay. *'En route'/'On course': refers to a vessel proceeding on course to a destination. *[[evasive maneuvers|'Evasive' course or maneuver]]: one designed to allow the ship to either miss or be missed by another object. )}} *The use of hard prefacing a direction change, as in "hard aport", indicated to the helmsman that the maneuver was to be made as rapidly and severely as the ship was capable of doing. *'Intercept course': a course designed to directly and quickly approach another ship. *'Rendezvous' : to meet another vessel at a pre-determined place and time. *'Station-keeping': refers to a starship or other spacecraft maintaining a constant position in space relative to another object; this is typically performed using maneuvering thrusters. ( ; ) *'Steady', Steady as she goes, Steady as we go, Steady as you go or Steady on (that) : To stay on course. ( , , , , , ; ; , , , ; ; ; ) Relative positions *'Abeam' : the relative bearing at a right angle to the central line of a ship's keel. ** In 2365, Worf announced that the "probe is standing abeam," meaning that it was steady alongside the . ( ) ** In 2370, upon locating the abandoned and self-driven traveling at warp through space, Kira Nerys ordered Jadzia Dax to plot an intercept course, and "once we're abeam, match our speeds exactly and I'll transport over." ( ) :*'Alongside': to be "alongside" another ship is to be positioned next to it (typically "abeam") and moving in the same direction and speed; to order a helmsman to "bring us alongside" is to order him to assume this position regarding another vessel. * Ahead, forward of the bow * Aboard * Aport ( ; ) * Ashore: Off ship; as used on spacefaring vessels, it usually refers to planets or spacedocks. ( , ) * Astern * Outboard Shore locations and facilities *'Berth' *'Harbor' *'Lighthouse' : *'Port (location)': a location where personnel and goods can be transferred to and from a ship while not under way; frequently, construction and repair facilities can be found in these type of ports; also known as a "base" or "yard". :*'Docking berth': a place in a port where a ship may be secured. May also be known as a "dock" or a "slip". ::*'Drydock': a specific type of dock where ships may be repaired or constructed. Phrases The following is a list of primarily nautical idioms, slang, or other figures of speech: ;"Abandon ship" An order for all hands to evacuate a vessel due to an imminent catastrophic event which threatens to destroy the ship. ( ; ; , et al; , et al; , et al; ) ;"Able-bodied crewmen" ;"Above board" On or above the deck, in plain view, not hiding anything. * ; ;"Adrift" Floating freely in space, possibly damaged, with no pilot in control at the helm. ( , , , , , , , ; ; , , , , , ; , , , ) ;"(Run) aground" * ; ;"Ahead full" * ; ; ;"All hands" A collective term for all personnel aboard a starship or starbase. A ship-wide announcement could be addressed to "all hands." A ship that had been lost with no survivors was said to have been "lost with all hands." ( ; ; ) * After Jonathan Archer did some research in the Vulcan database, he corrected T'Pol's information that the T'Plana was lost with all hands. Archer also used the term "all hands" three times when informing the crew about new information. ( ) * In 2155 in the mirror universe, Maximilian Forrest ordered all hands on the to escape pods and to abandon ship as the ship took heavy damage from an attack by Tholians. ( ) Later, Captain ordered all hands to battle stations on the as the ship intercepted a battle between the and a group of four rebel starships. ( ) * In 2268, Lieutenant Nyota Uhura ordered all hands to battle stations on the when the ship received a priority 1 distress call. ( ) * In 2293, Captain Hikaru Sulu ordered all hands to battle stations on the during an attack by Kang's battle cruiser. ( ) * In 2368, when the was trapped in a temporal causality loop, Commander William T. Riker ordered all hands to emergency escape pods. Not long after this, Captain Picard ordered all hands to abandon ship just before a warp core breach. Both orders ended up being repeated a number of times with each successive iteration of the loop. ( ) * In 2371, Captain Picard called for all hands to make sail during a celebration on the holodeck on a simulated ship in which Worf was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander. Not long after this, Commander Riker was forced to issue a far more serious order, calling all hands to battle stations on the Enterprise-D after it received a distress call from the Amargosa observatory reporting that they were under attack. Not long after this, he ordered all hands to brace for impact prior to the ship's saucer section crashing on Veridian III. ( ) * That same year, Lieutenant Tuvok warned all hands of the to brace for impact just before the ship was swiped by the tail of a space-dwelling lifeform. ( ) * In 2373, Commander Chakotay ordered all hands aboard Voyager to brace for impact as a subspace shock wave from a supernova approached the ship. ( ) * That same year, Commander William T. Riker ordered all hands to battle stations on the as they prepared to head to the Battle of Sector 001. ( ) * That same year, when Commander Chakotay realized that the translocation by the Nyrians to the USS Voyager was most likely a ploy to take control of the ship, he issued a security alert to all hands, though there were only twelve other crewmen on board at the time. ( ) * In 2374, during an early version of alternate timeline known as the Year of Hell, Captain Kathryn Janeway warned all hands on the USS ''Voyager to brace for impact prior to the ship's being hit by a spatial distortion from the Krenim weapon ship which altered history. In this new altered history, during an attack by the Krenim in the Year of Hell, Captain Kathryn Janeway declared "All hands, battle stations. This is turning into the Week of Hell." Later, during that same alternate timeline, Commander Chakotay ordered all hands to battle stations prior to another Krenim attack. Following this, Janeway again ordered all hands to brace for impact prior to the ship's being hit by a distortion from the weapon ship, which this time had no effect due to the vessel's new temporal shielding.'' ( ) * That same year, Captain Janeway ordered all hands to battle stations during an apparent attack on Voyager by the dream species. The event, however, was actually a fiction created as part of a collective unconsciousness to trick the Voyager crew into believing they were still awake. ( ) * Also that year, Cadet / Acting Commander Karen Farris called all hands to battle stations on the prior to the ship's beginning shadowing a Jem'Hadar battleship. ( ) * In 2375, Commander Chakotay ordered all hands to battle stations prior to an engagement with a Borg sphere. ( ) * In 2376, Captain Rudolph Ransom ordered all hands to battle stations on the prior to an engagement with Voyager. ( ) * In Lieutenant Tuvok's Insurrection Alpha holoprogram, Commander Chakotay's statement "Chakotay to all hands. Let's do it." was his signal to begin a Maquis mutiny on-board Voyager. ( ) ;"All stop" An order given aboard a vessel to stop all engines from moving either fore or aft. * Jean-Luc Picard gave an "all stop" order to Wesley Crusher when the encountered the "Tin Man". ( ) * William T. Riker gave an "all stop" order to Wesley Crusher when after scanning the it was determined that Jean-Luc Picard was no longer on-board. ( ) ;"Anchor's aweigh" A response to the order that the anchor has be lifted. * Tom Paris, who was all geeked up on "sailor talk", used the expression when received confirmation that the immersion shielding was ready aboard the Delta Flyer to lauch and plunge itself into the Waters. ( ) ;"Aye"; "Aye, sir"; "Aye, aye, sir"; "Aye, aye, Captain"; "Aye, aye, Doc(tor)" An acknowledgment of an order. * One "aye" for the acknowledgment. ( ) * Two "aye"s for acknowledgment and carrying out of order. Commander Riker believed that only one "aye" was sufficient for both. ( ) .}} ;"Back full" * ;"Batten down the hatches" To secure a ship for inclement weather. * ; ; ;"Below decks" * ; ;"Bilge" * ;"Blow the hatch" * ;"Bon voyage" ;"Breach" ;"Brine in the s" A Monean expression meaning "used to describe someone who has special connection to the Waters. * In the case of Burkus, his family had lived in the Waters for ten generations, as such, "''We protected this ocean, cultivated it, lived in harmony with the animals that inhabit it." ;"By your leave" * ( ) ;"(Captain goes) down with the ship" An adage. ( ; ) * Kathryn Janeway considered this one of three things to remember about being a starship captain. ( ) * A variation on that theme was stated by Admiral Kirk to Saavik, following her failed attempt at the Kobiyashi Maru scenario. Following the departure of the trainee crew she remained to discuss her performance with Kirk, who upon initially noticing her asked, "Well, Mister Saavik, are you going to stay with the sinking ship?" ( ) ;"Careening" * ;"Clean bill of health" * ; ; ; ; ;"Clear the bridge" To have all bridge crew or just non-essential personnel leave the bridge. ( , ; ; ) ;"Come about" ;"Come to" ;"Cut and run" * ;"Dead ahead" / "dead astern" * ; , et al. * ; ;"Dead in the water" * ; , , , et al. ;"(Request) permission to disembark (sir)" * ; , et al.) ;"Flagship" ;"From stem to stern"; "from bow to stern" The full length of a ship, from front to back; generally used in terms of defining the full ship. ( ; ; ; ) ;"Full stop" ;"Gangway" * ;"Give way" * , ; ;"Hand over fist" * ;"Have the conn" / "take the conn" The conn was a line officer who is in command of the bridge. During the 23rd century, the phrase was utilized in the traditional sense, where the following officers have been said to have the conn: * Arex ( ) * Pavel Chekov ( ) * Will Decker ( ) * William T. Riker ( ) * Montgomery Scott ( , , , (inferred); ) * Saavik ( ) * Spock ( ; (x3); ) * Hikaru Sulu ( ; ; (x2); ; ) During the 24th century, it was said in reference to the conn officer or the actual helm itself, where the following officers have been said to have the conn (position): * Chakotay ( ) * Mark Jameson ( ) * Jean-Luc Picard ( ) * Natasha Yar ( ) ;"Heave to" To come to a stop. * ;"Hit the deck" * ( ) ;"Irons": ;"Keelhauling" ;"Landlubber" Someone unfamiliar with the sea. * Gillian Taylor described Kirk as a "landlubber" when she heard that the alleged admiral was from Iowa. ( ) ;"Leading edge" * ; ;"Learn the ropes" * ;"Listing" When a vessel begins to roll or lean too much to one side, which may lead to a ship capsizing. * Captain Pavel Chekov noted that the Klingon Empire's flagship, Kronos One, was still listing after it was struck by a photon torpedo that appeared to have been fired from the . Upon viewing the scene, Captain Kirk added that "she's spinning out of control." ( ) ;"Long shot" * , et al. ;"Loose cannon" * ;"Maiden voyage" ;"Make sail"/"Set sail" * ( ; ) ;"Man overboard" * ; ;"Mother ship" ;"Now hear this" A term used to preface ship-wide announcements aboard Starfleet starships to call the listener's attention. The announcement then issued orders to the entire crew or directed an individual crewmember to report to a particular location. ( ) The phrase was used by Captain Jean-Luc Picard on at least two occasions during the Farpoint Mission in 2364 ( ) and by an unidentified crewmember on board the in the alternate timeline in which the Federation was at war with the Klingon Empire. ( ) ;"Old salt" A seasoned sailor. * When Tom Paris took immense interest in 's discovery of the Waters, she took note of all his maritime knowledge, telling him that she "had no idea you were such an old salt." ( ) ;"(Admiral) on deck"; "(Captain) on deck" * ; ;"(Admiral) on the bridge"; "(Captain) on the bridge" * ; / ; et al. ;"On leave" To be on shore leave, medical leave, or a leave of absence. ( ; , ; ; ; * When Hoshi Sato was on leave from Starfleet in 2151, she was teaching linguistics at the Amazon University. When Jonathan Archer approached her to join , she declined stating she had three weeks left of leave, forcing him to suggest that he could order her to return. The way she saw it, "You would have to forcibly recall me, which would require a reprimand which would disqualify me from serving on an active vessel." ( ) ;"Over a barrel" * ;"Overbearing" * ; ; ; ; ;"Port of call" A port where a ship stopped. * The 's last port of call prior to being discovered adrift by the was the Darwin Genetic Research Station on Gagarin IV. ( ) ;"Parley" * ;"Safe harbor" * ; ; ;"Safe haven" * ; ; ;"Scuttle"' To purposely sink a ship. * ( ) ;"Scuttlebutt" Rumors spread aboard ship. * While visiting the in 2365, Kyle Riker had heard scuttlebutt that Katherine Pulaski wanted to see him. ( ) ;"Sea dog" * ;"Seaworthy" To be worthy for service at sea. * In order to conduct the underwater mission in the Waters, Tom Paris informed Kathryn Janeway that he could make the Delta Flyer seaworthy "in not time" with only "a few simple thruster modifications." This was good news to Janeway, who otherwise explained that it would "take at least a week to make the necessary modifications" to make seaworthy. ( ) ;"Shakedown cruise" ;"Ship out" * ; ;"Shipshape (and Bristol fashion)" Term meaning "everything in perfect order". ( ; ) * Captain Jean-Luc Picard used the term to describe Lieutenant Geordi La Forge's model of the original . ( ) ;"Shore leave" ;"Shove off" To literally shove a boat off of or away from the shore, ship, or dock. * Tom Paris, who was all geeked up on "sailor talk", used the expression when he encountered Harry Kim in the corridor prior to the Delta Flyer s departure into the Waters. ( ) ;"Show the flag" To make an official visit to a foreign port. * On more than one occasion, Benjamin Sisko set the to different borders to show the flag. ( ) * When approached the Numiri-Banean war zone, while en route to , Kathryn Janeway opted to take Voyager itself in because "the stakes are too high to send a shuttlecraft this time. I want to show our flag to make it clear we mean business." ( ) ;"Silent running" * ; ; ;"Skeleton crew" ;"Smooth sailing" * ; ;"Son of a gun" Originally referred to a son being born of questionable legitimacy between the ship's cannons; it later became a euphemistic variation of the colorful metaphor, "son of a bitch."https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/son_of_a_gun * When Worf demanded that Vic Fontaine "Sing!", Vic got the message and said to the band, "Son of a gun, I think he means it." ( ) * Later, when Vic realized what time it was and caught himself being late, he told Nog, "Oh, son of a gun. I got to get ready for the show." ( ) ;"(On) standby" To prepare an individual or item for potential use. ;"Steady as (we) go" A request by a commander of a vessel to maintain course and speed without deviation. ( , et al.) ;"Stores" ;"Struck the sails" * ;"To the bitter end" * ( ; ) ;"Toe the line" * ( ) ;"Truss" * ;"Turn a blind eye to (something)" * ; ; ;"Under the weather" * ( ; ;"Under way" The condition of a ship moving under its own power. ;"Walk the plank" ;"(Warning) shot (across the bow)" The use of a weapon in the direction of a target, but not intended to hit the target. This could be done for many reasons, but was commonly done to send the message that direct fire would occur if the target did not give an appropriate response. ( ; ; ; ; * According to Ambassador Soval, Vulcans usually did not fire warning shots. ( ) (See also: "Vulcan Hello") * A type 3 stealth assault involved firing a warning shot at a targeted vessel to force it to comply with the demands of the Hierarchy vessel employing the tactic. ( ) ;"Wide berth" Term instructing a pilot to avoid or make sure adequate space is given for other ships to pass. ( ; ; ; ; ) ;"Women and children first" Admonition for the more vulnerable passengers of the ship to evacuate before the able-bodied grown men. ( ) External link * de:Kielholen Category:Communication